


4:56

by missthingsplace



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Children of Earth Fix-It, Gen, M/M, One Shot, Rating: PG13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-02-07
Packaged: 2018-01-11 13:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1173454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missthingsplace/pseuds/missthingsplace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p> What if Jack had had some prior warning of the impending aliens?</p>
            </blockquote>





	4:56

  
**Title:** 4:56  
 **Author:** [](http://missthingsplace.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://missthingsplace.livejournal.com/)**missthingsplace**  
 **Parings/characters:** Jack/Ianto, Gwen  
 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood or any of the characters ... unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while.  
 **Summary:**  What if Jack had had some prior warning of the impending aliens?  
 **Warnings:** The odd swear word.  
 **Spoilers:** COE, A fix it, no deaths. Please read authors note.  
 **Rating:** PG13

**A/N:** No idea where this came from, i haven't rewatched it ... and probably never will again but for some reason this idea came to me. I may have got the odd detail slightly wrong as i can't bring myself to check my facts, but i hope you enjoy my little twist on things.

Jack woke with a start and glanced over at the alarm clock beside the bed and groaned inwardly at the time it displayed.

  
 

4:56

  
 

He stared at it for a few minutes, it was the third morning running that he had woken at the exact time, twice could be considered a coincidence but three times, that was just down right weird.

  
 

Beside him Ianto snuffled in his sleep and then shifted position so he was facing away from him, waiting until he was settled again Jack slipped carefully from the bed and pulled on his discarded briefs before leaving the room.

  
 

Heading straight for the kitchen Jack grabbed a glass and then pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, pouring himself a generous amount before replacing it and then downing almost half of it in a few gulps.

  
 

Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth Jack took the glass in the living room, stopping suddenly when he caught a glimpse of the clock on the VCR flashing, the digital display seemed to be mocking him somehow.

  
 

4:56

  
 

Jack picked up the remote and pressed rewind, effective wiping out the time and then sat down on the sofa with a small frown on his brow, the numbers playing on his mind, sure that they meant something to him.

  
 

Picking up a cushion and hugging to to himself he tried to think what was so familiar about it, did something important happen to him at that exact time in his past?

  
 

The more he thought about it the more frustrated he became with himself and in an attempt to put it out of his mind he watched the sky begin to lighten, the sun rising through the window.

  
 

The next thing he knew he was being woken by the delicious smell of his lovers coffee being wafted under his nose and opened his eyes to see Ianto smiling down at him.

  
 

“Thanks,” Jack said, taking the offered mug and taking a small sip.

  
 

“I need to get a new battery for my watch, it stopped in the night,” Ianto told him, showing him the dial.

  
 

4:56

  
 

“What? What's wrong?” Ianto asked, seeing a strange look cross the Captains face.

  
 

“That time, it seems to be haunting me somehow,” Jack tried to explain.

  
 

“Is that even possible, for a time to haunt someone?” Ianto asked.

  
 

“I'd never have thought so, but it seems that way,” Jack shrugged.

  
 

“Are you going to explain?” Ianto pushed.

  
 

“The last three mornings I have woken at that exact time, this morning the digital clock on the display of your VCR was flashing the exact time and now you show me your watch,” Jack explained.

  
 

“Which stopped at the same time you woke, all very eerie, I'll give you that,” Ianto agreed.

  
 

“The thing it, there's something familiar about it, I don't know if it's the time or just the numbers though,” Jack answered. “no matter how hard to try to think about it, it eludes me.”

  
 

“Then stop thinking about it, that always works for me,” Ianto suggested. “and while you're doing so you need to get dressed, you can't go to the hub dressed like that.”

  
 

“I don't see why not,” Jack grinned, glancing down at the only item of clothing he was wearing, his briefs.

  
 

“Nope, you wouldn't," Ianto chuckled.

  
 

While Jack showered and dressed Ianto kept thinking about what Jack said, when he glanced at his watch again he found himself thinking about the numbers.

  
 

4:56

  
 

It meant nothing to him at all, not the time or the numbers and by the time he'd rinsed the mugs out and tided the small flat Jack was ready to leave.

  
 

“Have you seen the news?” Gwen asked them when they walked into the hub. “Children everywhere are acting strange, just stopping suddenly, some of them have even been hurt in accidents where they've stopped in the middle of the road.”

  
 

“Are they saying anything?” Jack asked, moving to look at the screen.

  
 

“Just one phrase, over and over,” Gwen replied. “we are coming.”

  
 

“We are coming, who's coming?” Ianto asked, looking at Jack. “It's got to have an alien connection, hasn't it?”

  
 

“A pretty good chance I'd say,” Jack agreed. “Gwen see what, if anything else you can find, Ianto any chance of a coffee?”

  
 

“Coming up, Gwen?” Ianto asked.

  
 

“Do you really have to ask?” Gwen grinned and then turned her attention back to her monitor while Jack made his way up to his office and sat down in his chair.

  
 

“Children ... children ... children ...” Jack murmured under quietly, fingers tapping on the wooden surface of his desk, somehow he knew whatever was going on had something to do with that time, those numbers.

  
 

4:56

  
 

Realization hit him suddenly like a ton of bricks, grabbing the receiver of his phone almost violently he dialled the number for the Prime Minister from memory.

  
 

“This is Captain Jack Harkness of Torchwood, I need to speak to the Prime Minister now,” Jack told the girl who answered the phone so politely. 

  
 

“Can I ask what it's regarding?” She enquired.

  
 

“It's about the children,” Jack told her. “I have to speak to him now.”

  
 

“I'll put you through Sir,” she replied and the line turned to music as she put him on hold.

  
 

“Captain Harkness, what can I do for you?” The voice at the other end of the phone enquired a few minutes later.

  
 

“It's the 456 isn't it?” Jack asked, straight to the point.

  
 

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” the Prime Minister replied.

  
 

“Don't go giving me that,” Jack growled. “what happened back in 1965 won't ever happen again, I won't allow it.”

  
 

“You won't allow it?” The Prime Minister scoffed. “It was you that did the deed last time.”

  
 

“And I should never have let myself be talked into it,” Jack retorted.

  
 

“It's not like you had any choice, if what I've read is to be believed.” 

  
 

Jack could sense the Prime Ministers smirk down the phone.

  
 

“I was a very different man back then,” Jack told him coldly. “do you know what they want?”

  
 

“No, not yet but we are preparing for their arrival,” The Prime Minister told him.

  
 

“You cannot let them come to this planet,” Jack ordered.

  
 

“I don't take orders from Torchwood, sorry,” The Prime Minster told them and then cut the line.

  
 

“Bastard!” Jack snarled, slamming down the phone receiver into it's cradle just as Ianto entered the room carrying to mugs of coffee.

  
 

“Who?” Ianto asked, placing them in the desk.

  
 

“I know what the numbers mean, that time 4:56,” Jack told him. “we need to get to London before the Prime Minister does something momentously stupid.”

  
 

“Jack, I hacked into the governments computers, they're building something in Thames house,” Gwen said, barging into the room. “it's all highly classified but it has something to do with the children.”

  
 

“456,” Jack said simply. “they're after our children again.

  
 

“Who are the 456?” Gwen asked.

  
 

“The aliens I gave 12 innocent children to back in 1965,” Jack admitted sadly.

  
 

“Children? But why?” Ianto asked.

  
 

“I don't know what they wanted them for, but they threatened to wipe out the planet if we didn't,” Jack replied, his voice tinged with regret. “and now they are back and we have to stop them.”

  
 

“Just tell me what you need me to do?” Gwen asked.

  
 

“Stay here and let me know of any developments, Ianto you're coming with me.” Jack ordered, downing his coffee in a few gulps and getting to his feet. “but first, there's a few things we need from the armoury.”

  
 

Less than half an hour later the SUV was speeding towards London, breaking every speed limit and not stopping until the reached Thames House.

  
 

“Torchwood,” Jack announced them at the front desk. “I know the Prime Minister is here and we demand to see him.”

  
 

“I'm afraid that's not possible Sir,” the woman behind the desk began, her sentence going unfinished when the two gentlemen walked off and got straight into the lift.

  
 

“Halt or we'll fire,” the armed police officers told them when the doors opened again some thirty seconds later.

  
 

“I'd like to see you try,” Jack sneered. “I'm here to see the Prime Minister.”

  
 

“It's okay gentlemen, let them through,”

  
 

The police officers lowered their weapons and moved aside so Jack and Ianto could pass, moving quickly towards the Prime Minister.

  
 

“What are you building?” Jack demanded.

  
 

“I see we're going to have to update out firewalls,” the Prime Minister told them with a small smile.

  
 

“Won't help,” Ianto told him with a smug shrug.

  
 

“Follow me,” The Prime Minister said, moving along the corridor and opening a large wooden door and led them into a room where a large cube was being constructed. “this is for our visitor.”

  
 

“You're letting the 456 come here and you don't know what they want?” Jack asked angrily. “after what they did last time?”

  
 

We have no reason to believe the 456 are going to demand the same thing,” The Prime Minister answered.

  
 

“You've got to be fucking kidding me!” Ianto exclaimed, moving to walk around the now almost finished structure.

  
 

“I won't let this happen,” Jack told him adamantly.

  
 

“You have no say in the matter I'm afraid,” The prime Minster told him, glancing about and trying to work out where Harkness' companion had gone and giving a small sigh of relief a moment or two later when he reappeared.

  
 

“We'll see,” Jack told him. “time to go Ianto.”

  
 

With that Jack and Ianto strode purposefully from the room and not bothering to wait for the lift ran down the stairs, pausing briefly to hit the fire alarm and then out of the building to the SUV where they found a Traffic Warden about to put a ticket on it for illegal parking.

  
 

Ignoring the man completely they got into their vehicle and drove away, barely getting more than a few hundred yards away when there was a huge explosion, blowing the top floors of Thames House sky high.

  
 

“They really shouldn't mess with Torchwood,” Jack said with a grin, putting his foot down on the accelerator and speeding out of London.

  
 

“Hey, my watch is working again,” Ianto stated, staring at it in amazement, expecting it to still say it was 4:56.

  
 

“Then I'd say we completed our mission,” Jack replied. “lets get home.”

  
 

“Jack? Are you there?” Gwen's voice came over the comm. “What happened, there was an explosion at Thames House, it's all over the news.”

  
 

“Just a little sabotage,” Jack told her cheerfully.

  
 

“Well it worked,” Gwen replied. “the alien ship I managed to pick up a few minutes ago on the system has gone.”

  
 

“Completely?” Ianto asked.

  
 

“Yep,” Gwen confirmed.

  
 

“Perhaps now they'll realise that this planet isn't a soft touch,” Jack replied. “we're on our way back.”

  
 

“I'll be here,” Gwen told them and cut the comm.

  
 

“They're going to know it was us,” Ianto stated.

  
 

“Good, it's about time the Government realised just how much they need us,” Jack told him. "and that they shouldn't mess with us."

  
 

“I'm not sure they'll see it that way,” Ianto chuckled.

  
 

“Do we answer to them? No, so do I care? No,” Jack grinned and Ianto knew he couldn't argue with his logic.

  
 

The End.  
 

  



End file.
